JJ dean calls it a ‘mistake’
After HT published a report that Dr Heena Gavit, the youngest MP from Maharashtra , had skipped her mandatory medical bond services at a rural centre and refused to pay Rs50 lakh penalty, Dr T P Lahane, dean of Gavit’s alma mater JJ Hospital, has asked her to submit her original degree certificates to the hospital.
Earlier, in a response to a Lokayukta order demanding an action-taken report, Dr Lahane said he let Dr Gavit avoid the stint “by mistake”, thinking that as an MP she must have been exempted from bond service.
“Bond services are omitted for class one officers of UPSC and MPSC merit students, MPS and other top government officials but when we looked closely we realised that the option is available only for MBBS and not MD students. We gave her the certifithe cates by mistake and will ask her to submit it to us,” said Dr Lahane, in his reply to the Lokayukta’s order.
The hospital officials then wrote to Dr Gavit asking her to return her original certificate, marksheet and other documents to the hospital. This would mean that Gavit would not be able to practice medicine. It is not clear when she can get back the documents or whether there will be further punitive action against her.
Lokayukta in January directed the dean of the hospita and the director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) to submit a report, explaining the alleged favouritism towards the MP.
On October 21, HT reported that Gavit was given all her orig inal documents despite her fail ing to honour the one-year bond service after completing her MD degree from Grant Medica College and Sir JJ Hospital. This was revealed in a response to a Right to Information application filed by activist Chetan Kothari
Requesting action against both Sir JJ Hospital and Director DMER, Kothari said, “This is a case of corruption in which rules were bent to favour the MP.”
Also, the state plans to issue a GR to exempt lawmakers from the mandatory bond service “The alteration in current norms is proposed but it’s yet to come in action” said Dr P Shin gare, director, DMER.